“So, tell me what you’re doing here.”
She takes another drink and then sets the glass aside.
“Okay, I’m making three types of pie. Apple cranberry, cherry and of course, two pumpkin. I’ve got the shells rolled out so all I have to do now is lay them in the plates, fill them and then roll out and cover them with more pastry.” She turns to me. “You really don’t have to help with it all.”
I nudge her shoulder. “Drink your wine, woman, and watch me become a master class pie maker!”
That gets me a giggle and she waves her hand at the pastry and picks her glass back up with an amused smile. I wash my hands quickly and then pick up the first rolled-out shell to transfer to the plate and immediately poke holes in the delicate dough with my clumsy fingers. Avery tries to hold back her laughter when I try and pinch the holes back together and end up making it even worse. She drains the last of her wine and nudges me aside with her hip to show me how to reform and then roll it back out. It takes a few tries but I eventually get the hang of it and she’s halfway through her second glass of wine and laughing when we manage to get all four of the pie shells onto the plates.
I stand up straight and beam at my accomplishments, having never baked anything in my life. When I tell her I am now an expert and she’s fired as I don’t need her anymore, she snorts the cutest fucking laugh I’ve ever heard so I flick flour at her in revenge. The wine has made her loosen up and a little silly so I’m not surprised when her eyes flare with challenge and she flicks flour right back at me.
“Oh! It’s on!” I tell her and then flour is flying back and forth and her laughter fills the kitchen. When she scoops up an entire handful of the white dust, I rush in and trap her wrist in my hand to stop her and cage the rest of her body against the island. She’s still laughing and threatening me with retaliation so I move even closer until her body is pressed between mine and the counter.
“Drop the ammunition, sweetheart. You can’t win this war!” I tell her in a tone that gets huskier the longer I feel her body against mine. I need to back the fuck off of her but I can’t seem to force my body away from hers and I see the exact moment it registers in her eyes as her smile changes.
Her gaze drops from mine to focus on my mouth that’s way too close to hers and I feel the slight, sharp inhale of her breath. My fingers around her delicate wrist loosen and my thumb brushes over her pulse point in a soft sweep. Her eyes never leave my mouth as she tips her hand and lets the flour pour out onto the counter.
“Good girl,” I whisper, unable to take my eyes from the shifting emotions on her face. I should back off now, free her - but instead my fingers slide from her wrist up her soft skin until they reach her shoulder. I see her swallow and then slowly lift her hand to my face and finally her eyes meet mine again. I see hesitation, caution, and a hint of confusion and then…glee as they crinkle into a smile when she wipes her flour-coated hand down my cheek. I can’t help it, that fucking smile of hers has me leaning in and with barely a hint of a touch across her cheek I move to her ear and breathe out, “You win.”
And then I let her go and step back before I cross any more lines with her. A soft blush fills her face as she turns back to the pies and I hear her clear her throat.
“We better get these done so I can clean up this mess. It’s going to be a full day of cooking for me tomorrow.”
I squeeze my flour-coated fingers into fists to stop myself from reaching for her again and nod.
“Tell me what comes next?”
Avery
The scents filling the house smell like holidays and for the first time since my parents died, the feelings of holidays are there for me too. I’m confident that the three incredible men I work for will be pleased with the feast that I prepared for them. There will be no anxiety for me fearing that something in the meal is not up to his impossible to reach standard. There will be no tense silence over the dinner table. No fear of being punished for doing or saying the slightest thing wrong and no terror as too much alcohol is consumed.
I stand at the window and stare out at the view that’s filling me with joy and mending the damage to my heart. Everything is ready for dinner and I should call them in but I need to just absorb what I’m seeing and store it close to my heart for a few more minutes.
All three of them are outside with Chloe, bundled up and playing in the fresh snow that fell overnight. There is a family of snowmen watching over the group as snowballs sail through the air and laughter and giggles ring out. Kanga bounces back and forth, covered in snow, as he tries to catch every snowball that gets thrown. Ryker lifts Chloe up high so she can dump two handfuls of snow over Easton’s head and she screams with laughter when he falls straight back into the snow with his arms and legs wide apart. For the first Thanksgiving in years, the tears in my eyes are from happiness.
In the two and a half weeks we’ve been here, these men have interacted and played with Chloe more than her father ever had in her whole life. She was just a possession to him. He never played with her, read her a story, colored with her…he never did anything with her. Chloe had learned quickly as a toddler to stay as quiet as possible and not to bother him.
Another first takes me over. My smile drops away and my hands turn to fists. He didn’t have to be that way with her. He didn’t have to treat me the way he did. We could have had such a love-filled home. Easton, Ryker, and Zack have shown me how easy it is to be kind, to care in such simple decent ways. I…I hate him. I hate him for all that he stole from me and his daughter.
I turn away from the window and force my tense shoulders to relax. Today is about being thankful and I have so much to be thankful for. I go to the back door and call them all in and am rewarded with cheers for turkey and pie from Chloe and Zack. Once everyone has taken all the snow-covered layers off we all troop into the dining room and take our seats.
“This looks incredible, Avery,” Easton tells me with a smile as he fills a wine glass and passes it over.
Zack and Ryker also compliment me on how beautiful everything looks and I feel a warm glow of satisfaction and contentment fill me as I sit back and watch them pile their plates high. Ryker adds a bit of everything to Chloe’s plate and then cuts up her meat into small bites before digging into his own heaping plate.
“Miss Nicole says we need to say what we’re all thankful for, Mommy. I want to go first!” Chloe announces halfway through the meal.
I swallow down the sweet potatoes in my mouth and glance around at the others but they’re all smiling so I nod at her.
“Go ahead, baby. What are you thankful for this year?”
She grins real big and sits up straighter.
“I’m thankful for our new house, Kanga, Ryker, Zack, and Easton. And I’m also happy you don’t have any more new owies!”
I almost choke on the wine I had just taken a sip of when she tacks that on the end. My face flushes red but I force myself not to look at the others and just push a smile on my face, even if it feels incredibly brittle.
“My turn!” Zack calls, breaking the beat of tense silence. “I’m thankful for being here when so many of our brothers can’t be. I’m also incredibly thankful for Chloe sharing her toys with me and Avery for feeding me the most amazing food I’ve ever eaten.” He pauses there and I start to look to Ryker but Zack rushes in with, “Also, pie! I’m most thankful for pie!”
